welcome to nhk world "newsline." japanese prime minister shinzo abe has been going at a steady pace since he returned to office last month, retooling the economy, revising foreign policy and reviewing national defense. now he's taken time to pause and sum up his vision for the country. abe spoke before the diet for the first time since his liberal democratic party took power. the prime minister said the economy is his top priority. he noted deflation and the

strong yen are shaking japanese people's belief that working hard will bring rewards. >> translator: i will restore a strong economy and unshakable determination. i will press ahead with my three areas of economic policy, bold monetary measures, a fiscal policy and a growth strategy that induces private investment. >> abe urged lawmakers to swiftly pass extra budget bills for the current fiscal year to pay for stimulus measures. he said his spending measures won't go on forever and that he aims to achieve healthy public finances. the prime minister then turned his attention to diplomacy and national security. he said japanese and u.s. leaders should strengthen their alliance to restore the tight bond their countries once enjoyed. he promised to take firm action own territorial disputes close to home. >> translator: the government

will properly develop and better administer japanese islands near borders with other nations and boost security there. i declare that we'll protect the lives and property of japanese nationals and protect our country's territory. >> prime minister abe closed his speech by saying only that people of japan can make the country strong. . prime minister abe and barack obama are expected to meet in washington. u.s. ties gave us his perspective on the important issues facing the alliance. michael green served on the white house national security council as director of asian affairs under the bush administration. he spoke with nhk world. >> strategically, the u.s. and japan have a common interest in setting a high standard for transparency, rule of law and market access. >> michael green believes japan has a lot to gain by joining negotiations for the

transpacific partnership free trade agreement or ttp. he says it would improve the country's standing with the u.s. and within asia. and he says it would send a message that prime minister shinzo abe and his liberal democratic party have the will to act. >> the upper house election in july makes this politically complicated for the ldp, but i think there needs to be some momentum. when countries assess the national power of another country, one important source of power is will power. the ability to take steps to address the national interest, to strengthen the country. >> but green said japanese leaders need to take a more

cautious approach in dealing with sensitive issues with their neighbors, especially south korea. >> i think the administration and many strong supporters of the u.s./japan alliance are worried about what would happen politically if the statement were revised or that pandora's box were opened. i think it would be used by the opponents of the stronger u.s./japan alliance to criticize the abe administration or use china to isolate japan. >> kono issued the statement in 1993 when he was japan's chief cabinet secretary. it apologized to so-called comfort women in south korea and other countries. many of the women were called in to provide sexual services for japanese soldiers during world war ii. the issue has kept japan and

south korea at arm's length for years. >> what people in japan have to appreciate is korea is an important ally. when japan/korea relations are bad, we suffer. it only complicates our ability in washington and tokyo to work together with south korea to deal with the two big challenges we have, the rise of china and the north korean nuclear weapons program. >> green said the u.s. relationship depends on the strength of its ally japan. that in turn he concludes depends on how disciplined prime minister abe can be in helping japan's falling policy. nhk world, washington. authority official expressed readiness to hear opinions on the matter from other experts and the plant's operator. japan atomic power company. he said input from others would be helpful in compiling a report. government guidelines prohibit building key nuclear facilities directly above active faults.

japanese and u.s. authorities are now investigating battery monitoring devices for boeing 787 dream liners. this is the latest stage in a probe stemming from the problems with lithium-ion batteries in the dreamliner. two of the batteries caught fire. one of the batteries was found charred after a dreamliner made an emergency landing during a domestic flight in japan. inspectors in japan and the u.s. have been picking through the remains of the batteries. they haven't determined conclusively what caused the equipment to overheat.

more u.s. beef is expected to hit store shelves in japan beginning next month. the country's health ministry officially decided on monday to allow imports of meat from u.s. cattle aged 30 months or younger. the current limit is 20 months or younger. the ministry set the 20-month rule seven years ago to prevent risks of bse or mad cow disease. an expert panel has studied relaxing the rule because there have been no reports of bse in cattle born in the last decade. it comes with a condition, though. risky parts like the small intestine should be removed. they note the new rule is likely to increase u.s. beef imports sharply from the current level of 100,000 tons a year. the world bank says it will extend fresh loans to myanmar, its first in 26 years. the decision comes after japan helped clear the country's debt overhang. the washington-based bank says it has approved a $440 million loan. the money will support economic reform. the bank also plans to help

improve the country's financial markets and investment climate. myanmar owed about $400 million to the world bank. the debt had to be cleared before loans could resume. the japan bank for international cooperation, a government affiliate, provided a bridge loan. japan also helped clear myanmar's overdue debt to the asian development bank which has also decided to restart loans. the bank's decisions are expected to trigger more foreign investment. many japanese businesses are setting up branches in myanmar as it democratizes and opens up its market. nissan motor has agreed with daimler and ford to build a control system for fuel cell vehicles. the flee automakers have just announced a deal. the companies plan to join hands

in developing the control system and other key components. they're also hoping to produce their own fuel cell vehicles and put them on the market in about four years. until now, nissan has been jointly developing fuel cell vehicles with daimler while the german automaker has teamed up with ford to develop fuel cells. fuel cell vehicles are expected to become one of the next generation eco friendly autos. already toyota motor has agreed with bmw to develop hydrogen tanks. such cooperation is part of the carmaker's efforts to cut development and production costs. toyota motor back as the world's top seller. this after seeding the top spot for a year. the japanese automaker said on monday that it sold more than 9.7 million units worldwide last year, up 22% from the previous year. the sales include vehicles made by daihatsu and hino motors. u.s. general motors came in second selling about 9.28 million units. germany's volkswagen ranked third selling just over 9

million units. in 2011 toyota ranked third due to the impact of the march 11th disaster in northeastern japan but its sales recovered last year, especially due to stronger demand in southeast asia and north america. government subsidies for buyers of eco friendly vehicles also pushed up sales in japan. toyota says it hopes to do even better this year. it's aiming to sell over 9.9 million units. an expert panel of japan's nuclear regulation authority says a nuclear reactor at air power plant could be on active fault. the experts drafted a report on a newly found fault under the plant site. the experts draft ad report on a newly found fault under a plant site in fukushima prefecture on monday. it said it may have moved 10,000 to 130,000 years ago. the draft says the fracture's direction and other factors suggest that another fault could be directly under the plant's number two reactor and could be active.

authority official expressed readiness to hear opinions on the matter from other experts and the plant's operator. he said learning from others would be helpful in compiling a thorough report. government guidelines prohibit building key nuclear facilities directly above active faults. police in southern brazil are investigating a fire that burned through a nightclub. they are questioning managers to the city is an afrpg ancient trading basin. a malian militant group says it

goes against their beliefs. earlier this month the malian and french militaries launched offensives against militants who have taken control of the country. on sunday, the forces seized a northern town, a militant strong hold. they hope to gain control of the country with help from troops of other african nations. egyptian president mohammed morsi declared a state of emergency in parts of his country after a waeeekend marre by violence. at least 49 people have been killed in fighting with security forces. he imposed a nightly curfew for the next two months.

protesters have been marking two years since the uprising led to the overthrew of mubarak. saying he brought in a constitution that favors islamists and has failed to improve the economy. a riot on saturday in the northern city left 30 people dead. the court handed down death sentences for 21 people on their involvement last year in a deadly soccer match. resident say security forces contributed to the violence instead of bringing the situation under control. thousands of refugees fled myanmar during the regime. as democratization takes root in the country, many are planning to go back home. now the japanese government is stepping in to help their return. >> reporter: representatives of a thai and japanese government met at the japanese embassy in bangkok on monday. they signed an agreement to run

a training program for refugees who are currently in thailand. the program aims to help refugees be self-sufficient after they're able to return home to myanmar. the ngo will offer two training courses, one will cover how to use computers and the other will be on agriculture machine maintenance. they plan to open the training center as early as april at a refugee camp near the thai/myanmar border. they will be trained with knowledge and practical skills. it will be available to 600 students. >> translator: this project will give refugees the skills they need to plan their lives and make a living. it will help make their return home smoother. >> the camps are home to 140,000 refugees who fled myanmar under threat of military regime. now, some of them are preparing themselves to go back home. thailand is facing another

refugee issue. thousands of people have been landing in the south of the country in recent months. they are fleeing violence and persecution in myanmar. they risk their lives in search of safety but the future remains uncertain. nhk world has this report. >> reporter: i'm standing at the police station here in this province. thousands of people are being kept here without no idea where they will be sent to next. they are survivors.

they drifted at sea for about three weeks until finally they reached the coast of thailand. their boats are overcrowded. they made a 1,500 journey across rough seas. 500 people were confirmed drown in the last year. the death toll is believed to be much higher. >> translator: we were out of water, out of food, out of everything. we were forced to drink sea water until we were caught. almost everyone was unconscious when we were found and detained. >> translator: our homes were burnt down and we were told there's nowhere for us to live. so we decided to flee. if we hadn't, we would have been killed. >> reporter: violence in western myanmar last year killed about 170 people and displaced as many as 100,000. an estimated 800,000 people were

living in the state, denied by the government of myanmar. confrontation is frail. some tried to flee to neighboring bangladesh but they found nowhere to come there. another escape route takes them south across the sea in search of security in muslim areas such as malaysia and southern thailand. more than 10,000 are told to have put to sea this sailing season starting last october when the monsoon ended and waters became relatively calm. in thailand, some 1,500 people are in custody, including 200 women and children. the thai authorities would normally deport them but facing international pressure, they have stopped that process for now. >> translator: we are to detain

them until the government or other related agencies succeed in collaborating with other countries to repatriate them or send them back. we are worried about the increasing number of people, this trend. we have limited facilities. >> reporter: the fate of this 62-year-old man is in limber at the detention center near the border with malaysia. i says he decided to flee after violence in myanmar intensified. >> translator: our house was burnt down twice. our land, property and money were seized. i had nothing left, not even tears. i fled alone, leaving my family in myanmar. >> reporter: he was injured on the journey. worries about what will happen to him add to his suffering. the worst outcome, he believes, would be deportation back to myanmar. >> translator: kill us here, because i can't go back to myanmar. may allah protect us.

i am very worried for my family but what can i do? >> reporter: the government is considering a plan to allow them to remain on thai soil temporarily for six months. where they will go next is unknown. more boat people i expected to arrive in coming weeks and months. they leave hostility and violence behind. but they are sailing towards an uncertain future. nhk world, southern thailand. asia is home to rapid economic growth but the region is also the stage for an arms race. now india has produced a ballistic missile that can be fired from a submarine. nhk world reports from new delhi on the implications of this new development. >> reporter: the defense

research and development organization which works under india's defense ministry says they successfully test fired a k-5 ballistic missile in the bay of bengal on sunday. the group says the missile has a range of 1,500 kilometers and is capable of carrying a nuclear warhead. india aims to put a nuclear powered submarine into service and is expected to arm it with a newly developed missile. china's increasing influence in the region is behind india's move to boost its presence in the indian ocean. china has been stepping up relations with india's neighbors, including pakistan, sri lanka, bangladesh and myanmar by offering them frastructure projects. india is concerned that china's

growing military presence may spread between the strait into the indian ocean, a key oil shipping lane. last year, india successfully test fired a ballistic missile with a range of 5,000 kilometers. it can cover most of asia. india unveiled the missile during a military parade in new delhi the day before it tested the k-5. the country seems to be showing off its weapon development capabilities. china and the pakistan are bolstering their military cooperation by engaging in joint exercises while india is steadily upgrading its military on the back of its economic might. if india succeeds in arming its nuclear submarine with the k-5,

it will add up to a powerful option in its military strategy. the country's continuing missile program is likely to stir up the region. nhk world, new delhi. and that wraps up our bulletin, i'm dhra dhirakaosal in bangkok. >> dhra, thanks. australia's east coast has emerging economic powers still struggling with poverty. embolden citizens still demanding democracy. the threat of violence, the push for peace, the shadow of conflict. get news and insight on south and southeast asia every week day live from bangkok only on nhk "newsline." images from traffic cameras have made their way into our daily lives. the footage you're about to see is a good reminder that sometimes you need more than one angle to understand the full

story. here's a scene from the other side of the intersection. the scooter was crushed. both the rider and the truck driver escaped unharmed. the weather is next with meteorologist robert speta. robert? >> well, here in japan we're watching snowfall actually over the weekend. storm system pushed overhead. now you can see that cloud cover towards the east. behind it, still lingering flurries are going to continue to persist. you're still seeing snow about 20 centimeters of accumulation can be expected. wednesday going into thursday, really just suppressing any of the increased precipitation.

fog and haze in china. that is going to bring temperatures down into the philippines. cooler there through the overnight hours. it's all going to come around. really a pattern much as that high does push down, it will be wrapping around the warm air. remember that clockwise flow around the high pressures. that's going to start to bring temperatures back up in eastern china. shanghai, 13 for your high on tuesday. that's going to be going up to 17, actually, by thursday. even down around the province, you're going to see temperatures in 20s. tokyo getting back into the double digits. starting to see a warming trend. not seeing a warming trend is here into the northeast portions of the u.s. and eastern canada. we have a storm system pushing through. that is bringing freezing rain, either winter weather advisory expected as it does push off towards new england. behind it, that's when it is going to start to warm up. we have this system here. that's bringing some snowfall across portions of the rockies for right now. but as this starts to work its way towards the east, it's going to be pulling in that warm air

from the south. going to be seeing that across much of the southeast. temperatures warming up. but then things will be on the change here. that jet stream starts to migrate towards the east with that low pressure area, cold air is going to plunge in out of canada. a battle area is setting up across the mississippi valley. you're going to see severe weather. temperatures will drop right off as that cold arctic air mass starts to come down. win peg, just minus six on monday. well, it's going to get colder. minus 20 going into thursday. chicago, ahead of that front, you're going to be seeing that warmup that we're talking about. 17 for your high. take a look at this. dropping off about down to minus seven by the end of the week. so really enjoy the warm weather while you can in many of these areas. it's going to be getting cold by the end of the work week. now as we take a look at europe, several areas also continuing to watch. italy, you are seeing some rain showers, even gusty winds from a low pressure area. but the thing with this one, it's going to start to work to the east. high pressure is going to be ridging in behind it. that's really going to bring in

much farrer weather across the iberian peninsula and italy and the mediterranean and they'll be sharing in on this great weather. the north and british isles, you're not sharing in on it. gale warnings in effect across much of the british isles. up to about 70 to 100 kilometer per hour winds are expected here. tuesday, you're going to get a short break. that system does push to the east. another one will be coming off the atlantic right on its heels. that will be bringing yet another round of rough weather for you. at least for the temperatures though in london and paris, remaining at 13 and 12 for the high on tuesday. talking about cold temperatures. let's take a look at moscow and kiev. minus four and five for your highs. here's a look at your extended forecast.

we'll be back in 30 minutes with more news. i'm gene otani in tokyo. from all of us here at nhk world, thanks for joining us.

-- captions by vitac -- www.vitac.com